Heritage Meets Tourism: India’s Cultural Gems Ready To Boost Travel Growth: What You Need To Know

Saturday, July 26, 2025

14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave organized by PHDCCI: The Summit was held connected July 25, 2025 and was organized by nan PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) which was held astatine nan majestic Lukshmi Vilas Palace successful Vadodara of Gujarat. The exclusive event, which was conducted successful business pinch Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India; Gujarat Tourism; Delhi Tourism; IndiGo and IRCTC, witnessed a spectrum of participants from nan recreation and hospitality sectors. The conclave, titled “ख़याल विरासत का” (Thoughts connected Heritage) tackled nan mobility of really India tin leverage its taste and humanities bequest to guarantee sustainable tourism, inclusive economical maturation and organization well-being.

The conclave witnessed divers benignant of participants specified arsenic elder authorities officials, policy-makers, members of royal families, diplomats, conservation architects, tourism committee officials, nutrient historians, recreation operators and taste entrepreneurs injuring nan conclave. The purpose of some nan initiatives was to ascertain nan prospects of practice tourism for becoming a imaginable maturation motor of Indian recreation & tourism while focusing connected nan protection of humanities assets and section organization empowerment.

Gujarat: A Model for Heritage-Led Tourism

The 14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave provided a robust level to showcase Gujarat arsenic nan authorities starring nan origin of heritage-led tourism successful India. Shri. Rajender Kumar (IAS), Secretary – Tourism, Civil Aviation, Devasthanam Management & Pilgrimage delivered nan inaugural reside emphasizing nan rich | humanities and taste practice of nan authorities of Gujarat. He elaborate really nan authorities has promoted nan preservation and reuse of specified spaces, and has been simultaneously building infrastructure to assistance localities. Tourism Economy Gujarat’s tourism exemplary leverages section arts, cottage industries and artisan engagement to nexus tourism straight to section organization who tin summation from it successful nan shape of employment, infrastructure and taste prestige.

The antiquated remains of Dholavira and Lothal to nan spectacular Girnar hills and Junagadh, Gujarat is weaving a communicative for practice which is drafting attraction of visitors from wrong nan state and abroad. Through nan matrimony of practice preservation and organization development, Gujarat is simply a lawsuit study successful really tourism tin beryllium utilized arsenic a catalyst for economical and taste regeneration.

The Role of Royal Legacy and Community Engagement

His Highness Samarjitsinh Gaekwad, Maharaja of Baroda, who is besides a founding personnel of nan Heritage Tourism Association of Gujarat, shared valuable insights into nan domiciled of royal legacies successful shaping tourism experiences. According to nan Maharaja, practice must beryllium applicable to early generations, alternatively than simply serving arsenic a nostalgic reminder of nan past. For practice to thrive, it must link pinch modern audiences arsenic a root of pride. He emphasized that Vadodara’s palaces, traditions, and stories should animate nan adjacent generation, and platforms for illustration nan conclave play a captious domiciled successful ensuring practice continues to animate and educate.

This connection aligns pinch nan overarching taxable of nan conclave, which sought to stress nan value of integrating section communities into practice conservation and tourism initiatives. Vadodara, location to nan Lukshmi Vilas Palace, serves arsenic an illustration of really royal practice tin beryllium preserved and repurposed to supply authentic tourism experiences, blending civilization pinch modern tourism infrastructure.

Government Initiatives and Policy Support for Heritage Tourism

The conclave was besides marked by important contributions from nan Ministry of Tourism, Government of India, represented by Mr. Mohamed Farouk, Regional Director – India Tourism Mumbai. He highlighted nan Ministry’s committedness to practice tourism done cardinal initiatives specified arsenic Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and PRASHAD. These programs purpose to create thematic tourism circuits crossed India that not only item monuments but besides link travelers pinch section cuisines, crafts, folklore, and festivals.

These programs are a captious portion of India’s broader tourism strategy to boost nan sector’s publication to nan nationalist economy. The Ministry’s attraction connected destination readiness, including upgrading infrastructure, ensuring sustainability, and processing nan capacity of section guides and communities, is simply a captious measurement successful making practice tourism much accessible and sustainable.

PHDCCI’s Role successful Policy Innovation and Stakeholder Collaboration

In his taxable address, Mr. Rajan Sehgal, Co-Chair of nan Tourism Committee astatine PHDCCI, emphasized nan value of argumentation invention successful practice tourism. He explained that practice tourism is not conscionable astir preserving monuments but astir reimagining section identities, regenerating economies, and restoring taste pridefulness wrong communities. The conclave itself aimed to catalyze argumentation reasoning and promote public-private partnerships (PPP), which are basal for nan successful revitalization of practice assets.

The PHDCCI’s efforts successful this guidance underscore nan value of manufacture collaboration and authorities support successful promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism. Heritage tourism has nan imaginable to create a ripple effect crossed sectors, from hospitality to section crafts, enhancing nan wide tourism acquisition and generating economical worth successful areas that whitethorn different beryllium overlooked.

Key Sessions Highlighting Heritage Tourism’s Economic Impact

The arena featured a bid of insightful sessions focusing connected different aspects of practice tourism. One of nan highlights was nan convention connected “Vibrant Gujarat’s Model for Heritage-Led Tourism,” wherever panelists discussed really practice tourism could merge section communities, sphere intangible heritage, and create curated experiences for tourists. Gujarat’s attack to integrating section crafts and creating a sustainable tourism exemplary has proven effective successful ensuring that tourism benefits some nan visitors and nan big communities.

Another convention focused connected “Having a Haveli: What it Takes to Safeguard nan Living Heritage of Shekhawati.” Experts successful nan section of conservation and practice tourism discussed nan challenges of preserving backstage practice homes while fostering nationalist trust. The value of incentivizing backstage practice owners to return an progressive domiciled successful restoration and nan integration of craft-based revival efforts were cardinal takeaways from this session.

The conclave besides spotlighted culinary tourism, pinch salient figures specified arsenic Prof. Pushpesh Pant and Chef Manjit Gill discussing really nutrient tin go an basal portion of nan tourism experience. By promoting location cuisine arsenic a taste artifact, they highlighted nan immense imaginable of culinary tourism successful enhancing nan practice acquisition and driving recreation liking to lesser-known destinations.

Women arsenic Custodians of Heritage

A peculiarly poignant convention was dedicated to nan domiciled of women successful preserving India’s taste heritage. Her Highness Radhikaraje Gaekwad and Her Highness Kadambaridevi Jadeja, Maharani of Rajkot, shared their experiences arsenic taste custodians and advocates for women-led tourism enterprises. The convention shed ray connected really women play a pivotal domiciled successful preserving oral traditions, crafts, and location hospitality practices, and really their contributions are captious for nan semipermanent sustainability of practice tourism.

This convention resonated powerfully pinch nan broader goals of nan conclave, emphasizing nan value of gender inclusivity successful nan tourism assemblage and nan domiciled of women successful driving nan preservation of intangible taste heritage.

The Future of Heritage Tourism: Public-Private Partnerships and Sustainability

The PHDCCI-KPMG Heritage Tourism Report, released astatine nan conclave, provided a broad overview of really public-private partnerships (PPPs) are transforming practice tourism successful India. The study underscores that leveraging backstage finance and expertise successful nan restoration and sustainable guidance of practice sites tin thief sphere these assets while simultaneously creating caller tourism opportunities. Heritage tourism has nan imaginable to lend importantly to nan economy, and PPPs tin guarantee that this imaginable is afloat realized.

The conclave besides included much than 25 B2B meetings betwixt tourism boards, hospitality leaders, and taste entrepreneurs, facilitating business improvement and cross-sector collaborations that will thrust nan maturation of practice tourism successful India.

Conclusion: A Bright Future for Heritage Tourism successful India

The 14th International Heritage Tourism Conclave was an important level for speech of ideas, networking and renewed attraction connected practice arsenic a cardinal driver successful India’s tourism growth. The show was a testament to nan powerfulness of practice tourism to reinvigorate economies, fortify communities, and sphere oral traditions. In doing so, nan various conclusion and recommendations made by nan conclave person group nan reside for a early wherein practice tourism takes centre-stage successful nan maturation trajectory of India’s wide tourism industry.